Loyal Trump Allies Reportedly Planning Last-Ditch Effort To Overturn Election Results On House Floor
A group of loyal allies to Donald Trump in the House of Representatives are reportedly planning a last-ditch effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, using a January vote to send Trump back to the White House.
The plan was outlined in a story from The New York Times, which claimed that a small group of the most loyal Trump allies in the House were planning to challenge results in five key states won by Joe Biden — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The report claimed that the allies, led by Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, are planning to claim there were varying degrees of fraud in those states.
The group can formally challenge the outcome by issuing and submitting a challenge in writing, along with the signatures from members of the U.S. Senate, the report said. It was not clear if any senators supported the plan, though some close to Trump had signaled they may do so. Once an objection is raised, members of the House and Senate would then hold a two-hour debate and vote on whether to disqualify the vote totals that had already been certified by the states. It would take votes from both Congressional houses to toss out a state’s electoral votes, the outlet added.
While experts have said that the effort is likely doomed to fail, it could create a sharp partisan split that would loom over the next four years.
“If even one Republican senator backed the effort, it could ensure that the partisan cloud hanging over the election would darken Mr. Biden’s presidency for years to come,” The New York Times noted. “If none did, it could send a definitive message to the country that despite Mr. Trump’s bluster, the party trusted the results of the electoral process and was finally ready to recognize Mr. Biden as the rightful winner.”
The report added the plan could put Vice President Mike Pence in a difficult position, noting that his role as president of the Senate gives him the task of opening and tallying envelopes from the states, announcing their result. The outlet also pointed out that Trump could insist his vice president refuse to carry out the duty.
The story drew some strong pushback, with many calling on Pence to follow past precedent and carry out his duties.
“Vice Presidents Nixon in 1961, Humphrey in 1969, Rockefeller in 1977, Mondale in 1981, Quayle in 1993, Gore in 2001, Cheney in 2009 and Biden in 2017 proclaimed the candidate of the other party the victor,” tweeted columnist Bill Kristol. “Will VP Pence follow in their patriotic footsteps?”
